The Signs Kamala Harris And Nikki Haley Can't Stand Each Other
Having two women of color as potential presidents of the United States is excellent progress. Still, just because Kamala Harris and Nikki Haley are fellow trailblazers, it doesn't mean they're supportive of each other in any way. You don't have to be a genius to work out that the two politicians loathe each other.
At first glance, Harris and Haley have a lot in common. They're fearless and successful women who have fought to the top in a male-dominated field. Before Harris entered politics, she was the district attorney of San Francisco. Meanwhile, Haley was the governor of South Carolina and the United States ambassador to the United Nations. They're both wealthy in their own right, with Forbes listing Harris' fortune at $7 million and Haley's at $8 million. They're also outspoken critics of Donald Trump and women of color from a first-generation immigrant background. Haley's parents are Punjabi Sihks, while Harris' are Indian and Jamaican.
However, that's where the similarities end. Haley, whose real name is Nimrata Randhawa has been critiqued for changing her name and identifying as white, while Harris embraces her biracial heritage. "I'm black and proud of being black," she told "The Breakfast Club" in February 2019. "I was born black. I will die black." Given their marked differences, it's little surprise you don't have to dig that deep to find signs that Harris and Haley can't stand each other.
Haley's laser focus on Harris
One glance at Hillary Clinton's 2016 failed presidential bid shows that sexism and misogyny still reign supreme in Washington, D.C. And, the way Kamala Harris and Nikki Haley are going at it, double X chromosomes won't lead to patriarchy's downfall anytime soon. The women have no problem playing dirty, regularly deriding each other, and landing low blows.
There's an argument to be made that Harris and Haley are given free rein in the insult world. Undoubtedly, many of their slights would be condemned if they came out of a man's mouth. Haley's takedowns are often a dog whistle to gender norm traditionalists, and she's been accused of "weaponizing" her racial identity against Harris. "She's using it to attack the other South Asian woman — who has experienced life and moved through the world as a Black-appearing woman," USC sociology Professor Hajar Yazdiha told the San Francisco Chronicle, noting Haley listed herself as white on her 2001 voter registration form.
Haley has made Harris the focus of her political attacks. In a July 2022 interview with Fox News, she slammed Harris' speech at the 113th NAACP conference. "Our country has a history of claiming ownership over human bodies," Harris said. "We must recognize there are those who are fighting to drag us backward," she continued, criticizing "extremist so-called leaders" for "criminalizing doctors and punishing women" with anti-abortion legislation. Haley clapped back by insisting it's Harris who's the extremist. "She's outrageous," Haley said. "She's unbelievably extremist."
Harris' thinly veiled attacks on Haley
A large part of Nikki Haley's campaign attack strategy is claiming Kamala Harris is the actual 2024 presidential candidate, given President Joe Biden's advanced age. "We can't afford a President Harris. I will say that over and over," Haley charged in July 2023 during the first presidential forum of the 2024 Republican primary season. Harris shot down Haley's claims in a September 2023 "Face the Nation" interview. "They feel the need to attack because they're scared that we will win," she said.
Harris likes to project the image of always going high. However, although she often fails to namecheck Haley in her attacks, it's clear who she's referring to in thinly veiled swipes. The former governor of South Carolina came under fire in December 2023 for omitting the mention of slavery as a cause of the US Civil War. When asked what she believes sparked the uprising, Haley told the crowd at a New Hampshire campaign rally it was "basically how the government was going to run."
Harris hit back in her speech at the South Carolina NAACP's annual "King Day at the Dome" event on January 15. "They even try to erase, overlook, and rewrite the ugly parts of our past," she told the crowd. "For example, the Civil War, which must I really have to say, was about slavery? ... They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us in an attempt to divide and distract our nation with unnecessary debates."